By Breaking Belize News Staff: Prime Minister John Briceño is defending pantry bag purchases from MP Farms through his office, saying the program had a budget and payments were made when receipts were submitted.
The question came amid wider scrutiny of payments to businesses connected to the Mira family. Public reports have linked MP Farms to Brian and Stanley Mira and alleged that millions of dollars were paid to the company through hundreds of SmartStream transactions.
7News Belize reported that leaked SmartStream screenshots showed 601 transactions totaling $5.67 million to MP Farms between September 2024 and June 2026. Of those, 591 were reportedly from the Ministry of Defence, while 10 were from the Prime Minister’s Office. The same report noted that the 10 payments from the Prime Minister’s Office were above the $10,000 threshold, unlike most of the Ministry of Defence payments.
Briceño said he understood from Financial Secretary Joseph Waight that the pantry bag purchases were handled through an approved budget and supported by receipts.
The Prime Minister repeated that, in the broader Mira matter, goods were reportedly delivered, but said Government must not only do things properly, it must also appear to do things properly.
The post PM defends pantry bag payments from his office to MP Farms, says receipts were submitted appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Breaking Belize News Staff: Prime Minister John Briceño is defending pantry bag purchases from MP Farms through his office, saying the program had a budget and payments were made when receipts were submitted. The question came amid wider scrutiny of payments to businesses connected to the Mira family. Public reports have linked MP Farms
The post PM defends pantry bag payments from his office to MP Farms, says receipts were submitted appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
